I just flew Japan Airlines’ 777 first class across the Pacific, and I ended up making a duty free purchase, which I very rarely do. I can’t decide if that was the right move and an easy opportunity to make a quick buck, or if I just fell for marketing around exclusivity…
Continue reading: I Bought Hibiki Whisky In Japan Airlines First Class… Now What?!?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Maybe keep it for a special occasion in the future, or list it on Facebook marketplace.
“Do I… do something else?”
You do know drinking it is an option, right? Haha
I mean, you’re traveling with your husband and a couple friends on a nice ski vacation. Sounds like a great drink to share with them each evening after a day of skiing.
Sell it. From what I've read, the booze is the same as a regular Hibiki which sells for under a $100. So you're just paying for fancy packaging
Keep it for Miles and present it to him on his 21st birthday. Who knows what it's value would be by then, given its lineage?
Let me know if you want to get it off your hands. Much love for Japanese whisky
I would contact one of the auction houses that auction whiskey (like Sotheby’s) and get an estimate.
You presumably have enough money to not bother with reselling it for profit. Just find a time to enjoy it with other whiskey connoisseurs who will very much appreciate the opportunity
You got the limited edition package version of the regular Suntory Hibiki non-age statement whisky. It looks to be going for $300-$500 online.
The one that's actually going for $5000 is the Suntory Hibiki 21 years old 100th Anniversary edition. The packaging looks similar so there are some people trying to sell the non-age statement version for the $5000 that the 21 years old one is going for.
If you're still in Japan, I would just go take it to an alcohol reseller store like Liquor Off and sell it. The whisky itself in a regular edition bottle is available in the US for around $100 per bottle, so you probably could buy 3 regular bottles for the price of that one limited edition bottle you have.
Lucky, I bought this Hibiki whiskey a few times in the last 10-15 years at Narita airport duty free shops. It is a fine whiskey by Suntory, although the valuation is not necessarily guaranteed for all kinds of reasons. 12 years ago, Yamazaki (also under Suntory) single malt sherry mask whisky was crowned as the best whiskey in the world, beating out all Scotch whiskey, the price of that whiskey at Narita airport went up 300% times in the next few years, but in recent years, the prices fell back to conform with the gravity.
Suntory Hibiki whiskey has been there for long time, and every a few years, they identify some occasions to make special packaging. I think your bottle is priced more for this centennial packaging reason, and Japanese are very good at it. But I seriously doubt over the time, you will realize any profit from it. Meanwhile it is a very fine whiskey by Suntory. I recommend to drink it in the next few years with your father or best friends.
Empty bottles can be had for $50-100 on eBay. Buy one and pour the regular Hibiki and voila, you have the same thing for half the price.
Just hold onto it for years. I absolutely love whisky (Scotch and Japanese), and I wouldn't hesitate to buy this at that price, and I would've enjoyed every $28.57 glass / serving (cheaper than >$50 per glass / serving for Krug or something like that). Prices are just gonna keep going up anyway. Current potus caused whisky prices to skyrocket with tariffs in the late 2010s, so I don't expect that to change in this current iteration.
The commenters saying it's the same as regular Hibiki are incorrect. They are thinking of the Hibiki Harmony series, which was just regular Hibiki in a fancy bottle.
This whiskey has a minimum of 17 years aged per the material I was provided. I had it appraised at $600-$800 by a London auction house. For that price I'm keeping both of my bottles.
Drink it with your friends on holiday, then recycle the bottle.
Is it really worth your time to try and work out how to do anything else. That’s time you could use earning money the way you know how to do it, playing with Miles or a hundred other more worthwhile activities.
Why buy something you don’t intend on enjoying or sharing it with others who do? Reselling it for profit is just…..
This mindset is beyond me.
Best drunk with those who will enjoy it now. I still have a magnum of Krug in my cellar I brought 25yrs ago for my daughters birth. Unfortunately my wife went off drinking for a year post birth and now it just sits there as I gave up drinking 10yrs ago and I do not want to waste it on non champagne drinkers. hopefully when she get married we can open it.
It is not; this is NOT the Harmony. It's a new "Anniversary" blend. The fault for this confusion is really on Suntory though for creating so many "100 year anniversary" things: one being a repackaged 21 year, one being this new blend, one being a repackaged Harmony, and probably others knowing Suntory...
I was tempted on my 4 JL F flights. But as the fine print says - you can't carry on to your connecting flight. Did not have room to stuff in my checked bag.
Although it is not offered on the 10 hour flight - HND to SYD, nor BKK to HND. Only on the USA flights.
If you sell it please please let me buy it! I've been a reader since 2010 and have a hibiki whisky collection. I've been trying to find a flight just to get this bottle with no luck (can only get certain days off work). I'm happy to pay the going rate.
Ben, I was in the same boat. I flew NH F a few weeks ago and got 2 bottles. I did a bit of digging, including delve into the "Japan Whiskey" scene. Here is what I have found:
- This is a special blend. It looks similar to the regular Harmony 100 year anniversary but it is way better than that. It is meant to be served in the best hotels and bars and not intended for widespread public sale. Giving F pax a chance to buy is mostly a halo effect. Price is meant to be 50000 yen but even vendors likely get it for a bit more so buying it is not an error.
- It does taste good, but 400 dollar good? That is up for debate. I am no drinker so having a glass of it on the flight gave me a headache, nothing more. The professionals mostly say it is quite nice, but their opinions vary on the value since most Japanese whiskey is kinda overpriced to begin with, especially special blends.
- This price is cheaper than many other special Hibiki because it has no year. It is said to have 17 year and older but there is added younger portion that forces Suntory to not be able to label it with a year. Not labelling with a year basically tanks any Japanese whiskey value.
- Reselling will be hard because there is very little market of collectors outside Japan and this specific blend is even less popular because there are so few of them out in circulation. (each bottle is labelled with QR code to prevent any bar to act as backstreet vendor in Japan.) So there is a tiny market for buying, or selling, this bottle. Most Japanese traders in Tokyo would buy it from you for about 600-800 dollars, and if you know anyone who is Japanese they can put it on their version of eBay and get more.
- What did I do? Well I just displayed one of the bottle and kept the other in storage. I do not think making 300 dollars is worth a hassle of hours of negotiation with maybe 1 or 2 buyers. Too small of a market that both sides have too much power in haggling.
It's simply Un-American to want to buy and drink Non-American whisky, why would you not drink American whisky given that we invented whisky in America.
We have the best whisky, meats, and food full stop in this country and we don't need to grovel and eat outsiders' food.
Its a great whisky, keep it. If you dont like whisky, serve it to guests who will appreciate it. Will give you a lot more life value than just selling it online for a markup.
Frankly I would save it for a party with friends, something for the liquor cabinet, or give it a friend when they have a big achievement.
While liquor reselling has great margins, it is full of stress and well what ever value you make will likely be lost from the stress. Keep it, share it, and enjoy the memories from it.
Offer a glass when a friend is getting married, or their kids are engaged, a big promotion, a child on the way, or other such things.
Used to be one of my favorite whiskys when it was less than $60 a bottle. Now it's gotten so popular that it's pushing $100 in many stores.
@Ben I’m curious about the logistics of transporting the bottle through the rest of the journey. Are you going to put in your check led bag?
Store it properly. The occasion will present itself in time, as did the opportunity.
Store it properly. The occasion will present itself in time, as did the opportunity.
Share it with friends that appreciate whiskey. Note: People who love American bourbon don't always tend to enjoy Japanese whiskey, it's a very different flavor profile that takes it's influence from Scotch, whereas bourbon tends to be far sweeter and less smoky or peaty. A close friend of mine gave me a bottle of Nikka from the Barrel, which I enjoy, but to him it tasted awful because his taste is specifically for bourbon and American whiskey.
That price is steep, but since it does seem to actually be a different blend from Harmony I'd probably pay it. Last I paid that much for a bottle was for Hibiki 17 funny enough, I bought two in Sendai in 2018. Drank one, the second one is waiting patiently for my upcoming wedding.
Buy a second one on your next JL F flight. Keep one as "invest", enjoy the second. This is how I do it with my rare Whisk(e)ys.
So you don't need to "regret" drinking it (anyway you never shall)
@Webby, Scots can think all they want, all the best things in the world are invented in America, if anything, the claims by other countries are just attempts and stealing income that should've been America's.
So many people keep saying it's just repackaged Harmony and it's definitely not. But ya - Suntory with their 100th Harmony etc. just confusing things. But man, seeing the others with all the misinformation - frustrating.
Find a local charity that runs a silent auction. (Although Florida might not be the optimum audience).
Just a note that selling a bottle of alcohol in the US as a private citizen is likely to be illegal. Be sure to do your research if you decide to go down that route. Most collectors favor bottle trades. Or you will often see people selling the bottle itself as a collectible (and maybe it just happens to come with a liquid in it). I'm not vouching for the legality of any of these actions.
Personally, I think you should keep it as something to pour for friends at special occasions, or even use it as an opportunity to learn more about whiskey yourself.
This is one of the craziest posts I've ever seen. You are correct if you are a Bourbon drinker. But if you prefer malt whisky, grain whisky, or blends (more commonly referred to as Scoth), there is hardly a single drinkable whisky made in the U.S. Japanese whisky (primarily blends) are far better than any American ones in this style.
As you wrote "didn't want to lug it around Japan" I assume you are in Japan not back home. But not sure.
in JP - make some Whiskey lover's day and gift it
in the US - set it sit in a cabinet for special occasions
The ability to buy this bottle of whisky was the sole reason I wish I had booked first class for my Japan trip. 😛 I'm considering begging someone (who doesn't necessarily want this) to buy this on my return flight in a couple weeks if it's available! Haha.
If you don't want it, I'll be in Miami in a week. Happy to buy it off you for $500 or so. Think about it!
When transiting through a USA airport, TSA will not permit that size bottle as carry on
Will need to be in checked baggage.
I would contact Greg the Frequent Miler. If I'm remembering correctly, he went out of his way to take this flight to be able to get this bottle. Congratulations.
just got backl this week
stuck with this bottle myself
whoever wants to buy- please let me know
LOL. Your dilima is why I didn’t buy it. That plus no checked baggage and connection to get home from ORD
Good whisky but this is marketing . Not sure this is any different than a regular hibiki which sells for half . I think it’s just packaging . Last week in Singapore they were selling 1 liter Johnny walker blue for 249 Singapore . Special box Chinese new year 549 Singapore . Identical whisky with a different sticker . It’s sucker bait.
If you think you paid too much; or even if you didn't, you could do what others have suggested. Do some sort of giveaway and convert it to a business expense. At least that way it's not a $400 personal indulgence.
This is a good idea (and I bet there are a lot of whiskey snobs in Florida!) -- you might actually be able to value the tax deduction at its market price rather than what you paid for it, as well, such that the deduction would basically cover what you paid for it.
Though keeping it around and serving it to whiskey-enjoying guests is also a very nice idea.
It was delicious in-flight, but I passed up buying a bottle (tho I sorely wanted to) just because I don't drink enough whiskey to bother, and saving it for a special occasion after lugging it around Asia for 1.5 weeks seemed silly.
Now I kind of want it, though...
Order the "pairing" whisky glasses Mt. Fuji and or Sakura ... they are awesome, also in beautiful wooden boxes (you barely want to open them!!) ... in other words ... keep the bottle and enjoy it
If you enjoy a glass of whiskey from time to time, drink this Hibiki. Keep the empty bottle. You’ll have an interesting story to share with your guests when you’ll serve water from this bottle
@JPlat
American whiskey is second to none but it’s classy and sophisticated to mix a Suntory with ginger ale and slice of orange but truth be told the $38 Suntory is on par with Evan Williams and Jim Beam white label for 75% cheaper.
Meat and cheese there is Brazil , Japan , and Europe but all is up for debate. Even the European cheeses can be produced and distributed in Wisconsin.
I found this post a bit petty and meaningless, and I'll stop here so as not to be unpleasant !
These have started coming up at auction, usually with an estimate of $2000-$3000, and generally pass. On auctions with lower starting prices, I've seen a few sell for $600-800. So maybe the expectation is out of synch with the market. From what I've read, it's not the most favorably reviewed Hibiki. But scarcity and nice packaging might eventually establish this as a $2000+ bottle at auction, and higher at retail. You can always consign it to a whiskey auction. I'd just wait a few years as a lot of people are going to buy these on spec while they're offered and flip into auctions. That'll keep the price down.
I assume they have online whisky auctions in the USA similar to those in the UK.Keep an eye on them and you will get a good idea what your whisky is worth.
You can sell easily on Unicorn Auctions but looking at recent prices, you'd about break even as it's not the 21 year.
Does anyone know when this sale for 100th anniversary? Hibiki will end..
Thank you in advance.
Have you sold the bottle yet? I work in that industry. Reach out if you need advice
Just bought two bottles in first class. Special blend of 17-30 year olds, not the same as the Japanese Harmony 100th anniversary which is a repackaging. Pretty stealth release with limited points of sale, I think limited to 3,000 bottles. Very drinkable, but also should be a decent investment.
Last week on JL10, I tried a glass on the plane, liked it (I'm not a big whiskey drinker, but this stuff is definitely tasty), and bought a bottle. It just hit my credit card statement for $370.81.
When I got to ORD, I simply put in my suitcase and rechecked it.
While I don't have any special plans for it (I guess I'll probably end up opening it at some point when guests are in town), I wouldn't dream of trying to sell it just to make a hundred bucks.